Making Your Own Warlock Subclass
You may decide that you want to create your own warlock subclass that best fits your campaign. Before embarking on this task, you want to be sure that no existing warlock subclass meets your design goals. One of the greatest flexibilities offered in 5e class design is how easy it is to reflavor the features. If there is a subclass that can meet your mechanical needs and stylistic vision, it is best to simply use that and save a lot of time in designing, writing, and playtesting.
If, however, you find that no existing subclass achieves the fantasy or has the mechanics to match your vision, this section will guide you toward making a sorcerer subclass that fits the 5e D&D model. The guidelines will help you create the features for your subclass and detail how you should balance the class to fit within the official options and those offered by Therin Creative and similar content creators.
Please note that despite the guidance offered herein, your subclass may need further tuning. Be certain to spend the time to playtest your subclass.
Class Chassis
The warlock is a Charisma-based spellcaster with access to the strongest ranged damage cantrip in the game. Since it has fewer spell slots between rests, the warlock has to be more strategic that other spellcasters, planning for the encounters ahead. It is also the most customizable class in the game, and one warlock might have more utility than another warlock which has more tactical options. Warlock can be a tricky class to play, let alone design, as a result of its customizability.
Hit Dice
With a d8 Hit Dice, the warlock has midrange hit points. Paired with its armor use, this places it on par with the rogue class in ability to survive at a glance, but the warlock lacks other feature to enhance its defense. This allows the warlock the take an attack or two before it needs to shift its focus to escape. A subclass can dramatically change this posture.
Proficiencies
The warlock has rudimentary proficiencies, with light armor and simple weapons. It also has a small roster of skill proficiencies. This fits the warlock’s theme of taking shortcuts to achieve power, and it relies heavily on its spells and the boons of its patron to fill the gaps.
Ability Score Improvement
The warlock uses standard progression for the Ability Score Improvement (ASI) feature (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level). Warlocks shouldn’t gain additional ASI features as that is the domain of the fighter and rogue classes and not something a subclass generally grants.
Pact Magic
While the warlock is a full spellcaster, able to cast up to 9th-level spells, it uses a different system to determine how many spells it can cast and at what power. Pact Magic spell slots recover on a short or long rest, which both limits and removes restrictions on the warlock’s spellcasting. In general, a warlock tries to only use one (or two at higher levels) spells per combat, but if it has enough breaks, it can cast a terrifying number of spells per adventuring day. Pact Magic spell slots are also cast at the highest level (to a maximum of 5th level), so each warlock spell will be potent when cast.
From tier 3, Pact Magic is accompanied by Mystic Arcanum, which provides spells for 6th through 9th level. While far more restrictive than Spellcasting feature classes, this serves as customization point for the warlock, which is one of the class’s more unique perks.
Invocations and Pact Boon
These features make the warlock a very customizable class. Invocations can add utility, defensive, and offensive power to the class. Pact Boons can shift the playstyle for the class or allow hybrid approaches. Invocations can further enhance the Pact Boon feature allowing greater shifts in play. Because the warlock class is very customizable, its subclasses don’t require any customization to feel good to play.
Ribbon Features
Like many spellcasters, the warlock class doesn’t grant ribbon features. It is expected that spells and invocations will cover thematic and utility functions.
Otherworldly Patron Features
Otherworldly Patrons grant features at 1st, 6th, 10th, and 14th level. This pattern is common among full spellcasters as it fills in the gaps left when gaining a new spell level.
Power of a Full Spellcaster
The warlock class is a full spellcaster with access to some strong spells. While it lacks in its number of spell slots at a glance, it regains those slots on a short rest. Pact Magic also enables the warlock to cast its spells with the highest potency, and this allows the warlock to exploit certain spells, such as the summon fey spell, in ways standard spellcasters can’t. Pay careful attention to the warlock’s baseline power potential, and recognize that its subclass have no lifting to do in regards to how much damage the class can output.
Building an Otherworldly Patron
Once you understand the class chassis, you’re one step closer to building a subclass. You’ll also want to review existing subclasses to get a feel for their design and balance. This section will aid you in understanding what your subclass features should accomplish.
Before starting on the formal work to build your subclass, devise its theme and role. What is your subclass’s purpose? What roles does it fill in an adventuring party? How are its mechanics interesting and unique? Why would a player choose your subclass?
Let’s start by looking at some existing warlock subclasses.
Archfey. With the Archfey Patron, the warlock becomes more of a beguiler, adding more enchantment effects to its kit. This patron is more about subtlety than combat, and thrives in campaigns where trickery is more rewarded than brute force. Players choose this otherworldly patron because they want to tap the flavor of the fey or have an attachment to the Feywild and they want to focus more on charms and illusions.
Fiend. The Fiend Patron is the iconic patron, a character that bargained with a demon or devil to obtain knowledge and power. It blends defense with offensive, serving as a warlock that can inflict harm and likely survive the consequences of that harm. Players choose this otherworldly patron because they seek to be the iconic warlock with a connection to some fell power in the service of darkness or in spite of it.
Hexblade. The Hexblade patron skews the warlock in the direction of a melee fighter, offering it strong features from 1st level. It is considered the best way to play a melee-focused warlock by many. Players choose this otherworldly patron to engage in melee using its spellcasting ability instead of needing Strength or Dexterity. It can be problematic as an enticing multiclass for other classes because of its front-loaded power and options.
Fathomless. The Fathomless patron can serve as a waterborne patron or even some kind of horrific one. Players choose this otherworldly patron because they want to summon power from the depths of the sea, and to play a more combat-potent warlock.
Beast. With a patron that can be a predator’s spirit, something akin to the Wild Hunt, or even a really powerful creature, the Beast patron is a weapon-based alternative to the Hexblade. Players choose this otherworldly patron to hunt their foes with preternatural, primal power.
Each otherworldly patron presents a unique theme and has features and spells that support that theme and lend the subclass toward certain styles of play that encourage players how to customize their warlock, but at its core, each is a warlock, with all the invocation options and spells powered through Pact Magic.
Building the Subclass
This guide covers building an otherworldly patron consistent with official published material. An Otherworldly Patron expands the kit of the warlock class. Each subclass adds components in a way that shifts the engagement of the class for the player.
Subclass features are granted at 1st, 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Each Otherworldly Patron feature level should grant only one subclass feature in addition to the Expanded Spells feature, unless the subclass needs bonus cantrips or proficiencies to be able to engage in its playstyle, in which case it needs an additional feature. Consult the Warlock Subclass Features table for when you should grant features.
There are exceptions for the rule of only granting a single subclass feature:
- Ribbon features are frequently weak on their own, so in certain cases you may grant a second, minor feature, which could be another ribbon feature.
- The feature has some complex interactions that are much clearer when separated. Often this is indication that something should be cut, but in rare cases, it makes sense to split a feature for comprehension.
- You are expanding an existing feature in a minor way. Sometimes it’s better to include the enhancement in the core feature, and at other times it could be a note in another feature.
Warlock Subclass Features
| Warlock Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 1st | Expanded Spell List, Expansion Feature (Pool) |
| 6th | Expansion Feature (Pool) |
| 10th | Defensive Feature |
| 14th | Mastery Feature |
Expanded Spell List
1st-level [Your Warlock Subclass] feature
Each warlock subclass adds a roster of spells (two for each spell level from 1st through 5th) to the ones it can choose when it learns a new spell. This is how you customize the warlock spell list to ensure the subclass has access to appropriate spells for its theme and role.
Unlike other classes with a similar feature, the warlock doesn’t automatically know these (unless you use an optional class feature to transform this one), so keep this in mind if you want a feature gained at higher level to modify one or more of the warlock’s spells. If you plan to enhance a specific spell, you should grant that spell through that feature instead of this one, even if it means delaying the level it could have been cast.
If you include spells outside the Player’s Handbook, it is recommended that you offer alternative spells from it so groups without the referenced book can utilize your content without additional work on the DM’s part. If the spell is one you created for the subclass, include its description after the subclass (or an appropriate section for a compendium of content).
[Your Warlock Subclass] Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | 1st-level spell, 1st-level spell |
| 2nd | 2nd-level spell, 2nd-level spell |
| 3rd | 3rd-level spell, 3rd-level spell |
| 4th | 4th-level spell, 4th-level spell |
| 5th | 5th-level spell, 5th-level spell |
Invocation Spells
You may want to avoid adding spells to the Expanded Spell list that the warlock can cast via certain Eldritch Invocations. Invocations are capable of casting the following spells: alter self, animate dead, arcane eye, bane, bestow curse, compulsion, confusion, conjure elemental, detect magic, disguise self, false life, freedom of movement, invisibility, jump, levitate, mage armor, silent image, polymorph, slow, speak with animals, speak with dead, and water breathing. The hold monster spell can also be cast, but it has added restrictions, so doesn’t clash as strongly as other invocations.
If you feel the spell fits the subclass, and you want it to be able to be frequently cast, you can disregard the invocation.
Expansion Feature (Pool)
1st-level and 6th-level [Your Warlock Subclass] feature
The warlock class predominantly uses Expansion Feature in order to uniquely develop each patron’s gifts. However, the type of Expansion feature it uses tends to be more limited in scope. For most warlocks, the 1st-level and 6th-level Expansion features are often one Defensive Feature and one Utility Feature. Therefore, if you grant a Defensive Feature at 1st level, you want to grant a Utility Feature at 6th level, or vice versa.
In the case that your warlock subclass is expanding the class’s combat role in a lateral direction, such as how the Hexblade Patron moves the warlock into melee fighter territory, you can replace one of these features with a Combat Expansion Feature. Your goal is to enable the new combat style as a competitive alternative to the eldritch blast cantrip.
It is also reasonable to pair a minor Combat Expansion or Enhancement Feature to a Utility or Defensive Feature for the warlock class, but you want to design it in a way that doesn’t increase the subclass’s damage budget more than 10% (and ideally closer to 6%).
Defensive Feature
10th-level [Your Warlock Subclass] feature
At 10th level, the warlock subclass should grant a defensive-oriented feature. While resistances, imposing disadvantage, or hardiness are basic ways to accomplish this, you can be more creative if your theme demands. Adding some combat benefit with a limited use, such as the Fathomless Patron’s Grasping Tentacles feature does, is an example.
You might also choose to twist this feature to enhance an earlier subclass feature in a way that adds a sort of defense benefit. It could also double as utility. The Genie Patron, for example, interacts with the genie’s lamp, adding a layer of utility in addition to providing a speedy short rest (which is its defensive option, opting for recovery over prevention).
Mastery Feature
14th-level [Your Warlock Subclass] feature
This is the warlock’s most interesting Expansion Feature, serving as a unique reward for advancing into higher levels of play. Often this feature expands the warlock’s combat prowess, and can even add some damage with certain limits.
You want to design a feature that fully fleshes out some concept of your subclass, and you have a pretty wide range of options. You also can swap this feature with an Enhancement feature in cases where you may have established a meaningful identity with an earlier feature, as in the cases of the Hexblade and Geist patrons.
If your earlier features have already improved the warlock’s ability to deal damage, you should aim for a utility or defensive function for this feature. For example, the Fathomless Patron already delivered its combat features at 1st and 10th level, so it added a traversal effect for its final feature.
In the end, you want your warlock subclass to add no more than 10% damage to the class across all levels of play, and even then, you want to aim lower. The warlock, under a standard adventuring day with access to at least two short rests, is already a very powerful class in terms of damage potential, so you don’t need to increase this aspect for the warlock to do well in battle.